Nanwalek, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Nanwalek formerly English Bay, is census-designated place
(CDP) in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
, United States that contains a traditional Alutiiq
village. The population was 177 at the 2000 census
. There is one school located in the community, attended by 76 students.
Subsistence activities are a large part of the culture for indigenous people and Nanwalek is no exception, especially when it comes to salmon
and seal harvesting. The sale of alcohol is banned in the village, although importing and possession are allowed. To travel to Nanwalek, permission must be obtained from the Village Council.
are located near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
and are separated by less than five miles (8 km). Both villages are accessible only by air or water (they lie 35 miles (56.3 km) southwest of Homer
). The Alaska Marine Highway System provides service to nearby Seldovia
(located only 10 miles (16.1 km) up the coast line). A state-owned 1850 feet (563.9 m) by 50 feet (15.2 m) gravel airstrip sits atop a natural spit which divides the small lagoon from the southern mouth of Cook Inlet
. Looking West, on can see Mt. Iliamna
and further to the north Mt. Redoubt. Although they are in the vicinity of the village, they do not cause trouble to the villagers, since Iliamna is erupting continuously, emitting only smoke, and Redoubt is so far in the north that the ashes from its eruptions bother mostly Kenai and Anchorage. It is Augustine
(the most active volcano of the eastern Aleutian arc), which makes life nasty in Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seldovia and Homer, when it erupts, as it most recently has done in 1986 and 2006.
Nanwalek is located at 59.353483°N 151.912482°W.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22 km²), all of it land.
, 89.27% Native American
, and 3.95% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 45 households out of which 55.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.93 and the average family size was 4.79.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 42.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 10.7% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 113.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $45,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $32,813 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $10,577. About 14.7% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
, an Eskimo
language closely related to Yup'ik
.
The village was originally the site of a Russian Trading Post
called Alexandrovsk durning the fur trade
. It was later called "Odinochka", meaning a "one man post." A Russian Orthodox Church
consecrated to Saints Sergius
and Herman
of Valaam
was built in the community in 1870 (only three years after the sale of Alaska
by Russia to the United States). A replacement church building was constructed in 1930 and is now designated as a national historic site.
The Orthodox Church in Alaska
can trace its activities back to early Russian missionaries. The witness of Herman of Alaska
, Saint Innocent of Alaska, and Peter the Aleut
has contributed to the continuing strong Orthodox community in villages like Nanwalek.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
-National protected areas:* Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge ** Chiswell Islands** Tuxedni Wilderness* Chugach National Forest * Katmai National Park and Preserve ** Katmai Wilderness...
, United States that contains a traditional Alutiiq
Alutiiq
The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Native peoples of Alaska. Their language is called Sugstun, and it is one of Eskimo languages, belonging to the Yup’ik branch of these languages. They are not to be confused with the Aleuts, who live further...
village. The population was 177 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. There is one school located in the community, attended by 76 students.
Subsistence activities are a large part of the culture for indigenous people and Nanwalek is no exception, especially when it comes to salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and seal harvesting. The sale of alcohol is banned in the village, although importing and possession are allowed. To travel to Nanwalek, permission must be obtained from the Village Council.
Geography
Nanwalek and Port GrahamPort Graham, Alaska
Port Graham, also known as Paluwik in the Alutiiq language, is a census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 171.-Geography:...
are located near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula is a large peninsula jutting from the southern coast of Alaska in the United States. The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for Cook Inlet, which borders the peninsula to the west.-Geography:...
and are separated by less than five miles (8 km). Both villages are accessible only by air or water (they lie 35 miles (56.3 km) southwest of Homer
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...
). The Alaska Marine Highway System provides service to nearby Seldovia
Seldovia, Alaska
Seldovia is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 286 at the 2000 census. There is no road system connecting the town to other communities, so planes and boats are used for transportation....
(located only 10 miles (16.1 km) up the coast line). A state-owned 1850 feet (563.9 m) by 50 feet (15.2 m) gravel airstrip sits atop a natural spit which divides the small lagoon from the southern mouth of Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....
. Looking West, on can see Mt. Iliamna
Mount Iliamna
Mount Iliamna is a glacier-carved stratovolcano located approximately 215 km southwest of Anchorage on the west side of lower Cook Inlet. Holocene eruptive activity from Iliamna is little known, but radiocarbon dating seems to indicate at least a few eruptions, all before the European...
and further to the north Mt. Redoubt. Although they are in the vicinity of the village, they do not cause trouble to the villagers, since Iliamna is erupting continuously, emitting only smoke, and Redoubt is so far in the north that the ashes from its eruptions bother mostly Kenai and Anchorage. It is Augustine
Augustine Volcano
Augustine Volcano is a Lava Dome Complex on Augustine Island in southwestern Cook Inlet in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of southcentral coastal Alaska, southwest of Anchorage. The Alaska Volcano Observatory currently rates Mount Augustine as Level of Concern Color Code Green for aviation and the...
(the most active volcano of the eastern Aleutian arc), which makes life nasty in Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seldovia and Homer, when it erupts, as it most recently has done in 1986 and 2006.
Nanwalek is located at 59.353483°N 151.912482°W.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 177 people, 45 households, and 32 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 20.8 people per square mile (8.0/km²). There were 54 housing units at an average density of 6.3/sq mi (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 6.78% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 89.27% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.95% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 45 households out of which 55.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.93 and the average family size was 4.79.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 42.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 10.7% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 113.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $45,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $32,813 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $10,577. About 14.7% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
History
In 1991, locals changed the community name from English Bay to Nanwalek, meaning "place by lagoon." Many of the current residents are of mixed Russian and Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) lineage. Villagers speak Sugt'stunAlutiiq language
The Alutiiq language is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language...
, an Eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
language closely related to Yup'ik
Yupik language
The Yupik languages are the several distinct languages of the several Yupik peoples of western and southcentral Alaska and northeastern Siberia. The Yupik languages differ enough from one another that speakers of different ones cannot understand each other, although they may understand the general...
.
The village was originally the site of a Russian Trading Post
Russian Alaska
Russian America was the name of Russian colonial possessions in the Americas from 1733 to 1867 that today is the U.S. state of Alaska and settlements farther south in California and Hawaii...
called Alexandrovsk durning the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. It was later called "Odinochka", meaning a "one man post." A Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
consecrated to Saints Sergius
Sergius of Valaam
Saint Sergius of Valaam was a Greek monk and wonderworker credited with bringing Orthodox Christianity to Karelian and Finnish people. Conflicting church traditions place him possibly as early as the 10th century or as late as the 14th....
and Herman
Herman of Valaam
Herman of Valaam - a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. Herman of Valaam together with Sergius of Valaam are considered to be the founders of the Valaam Monastery...
of Valaam
Valaam
Valaam, also known historically by the Finnish name Valamo, is an archipelago in the northern portion of Lake Ladoga, lying within the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation. The total area of its more than 50 islands is 36 km². The largest island is also called Valaam. It is best known as...
was built in the community in 1870 (only three years after the sale of Alaska
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
by Russia to the United States). A replacement church building was constructed in 1930 and is now designated as a national historic site.
The Orthodox Church in Alaska
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
can trace its activities back to early Russian missionaries. The witness of Herman of Alaska
Herman of Alaska
Saint Herman of Alaska was one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas.-Biography:Saint Herman was born in the town of Serpukhov in the Moscow Diocese around 1756...
, Saint Innocent of Alaska, and Peter the Aleut
Peter the Aleut
Cungagnaq is venerated as a martyr and saint by some jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was allegedly a native of Kodiak Island , and is said to have received the Christian name of Peter when he was baptized into the Orthodox faith by the monks of St...
has contributed to the continuing strong Orthodox community in villages like Nanwalek.
External links
- Local News airport sites under consideration for villages
- General Info list of contact phone numbers, etc.
- Nanwalek Public School- attended by 76 students
- SS. Sergius/Herman of Valaam Church
- Alaskan Orthodox Christian texts (Aleut, Tlingit) by St. Innocent (Veniaminov)
- Nanwalek Jukebox (audio files)